Webnovel.Forum

Cobyboy MasterRabbink NinjaScroll

This is the old model and while it is true it is no longer the case. Traditional publishers would pay an author an advance and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on printing. They were taking the risk of this cost, that is why authors who were less of a risk got a better deal. I will use $100 as an example to simplify the explanation.
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Book instore - $100
Retailer - $60 (varies from 40 to 70, 40% margin would be the norm)
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Publisher costs
book - $30
author - $6
marketing - $5 (varies lets use the industry standard 5% of RRP)
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Publisher Margin - $19
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On top of this publishers had to wear return costs from retailers, freight costs both ways and pay for endaps, rebates, price protection etc in retailers. They were not ripping off authors, this was the number it needed to be for the industry to work.
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Now there are no longer printing costs and especially the upfront cost. This is why publishers are now offering 30-70% to the author. In Amazons self-published case, the author bears all the costs and can recoup up to 70% of RRP minus fees. There are services which print on demand so an author can sell printed books with no massive outlay.
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On the surface, Qidians contract is not surprising. An author does not have to accept it and they could ask for terms taken out if they wish. Entering into a contract is a negotiation, you don't have to accept the initial terms. 50% is fairly standard for electronic publishing plus they have an excellent platform. There is a benefit to being on the front page almost every day as well which cannot be denied. It is rare for an uncontracted webnovel to be in the top 10 now due to the visibility front page gets webnovels.
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If you want your freedom. Don't sign it and do what I do.
Royal Road + Web novel (free advertising for me) https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15614/daedalus
Patreon Advance chapters https://www.patreon.com/skullysln
When you have a few books worth and 10,000 followers goto Amazon.

Thanks Web Novel. You rock.

Alemillach and other top 3 must be getting special contract different from the other thats what I though. They are good author that deserve it anyway so wn must be wanted to earn their favor. It would be different for the other author though. So its case by case I guess its the same in any company. If you have ability the company will favor you over others. Without ability they will oppress with unfair contract.

Skully_ I have done this for a while already, thanks for the suggestion hahaha. I closed my Patreon because I couldn't maintain it. Currently relying on my Amazon sales.

Puppet_Meister HAHAHAHA those three? They are obliged to not say anything bad though... Don't trust what they are posting. Contract clause,

"Party B shall take all necessary actions to maintain the image of Party A..."

MasterRabbink

That article is very misleading.

Showing amazon at 41% and comparing it to lulu direct at 80%. Fails to recognise Amazon KDP will sell 1,000,000,000 more units than lulu direct.

Cobyboy
If you don't mind me asking, how well do the amazon sales do? I'm not ready to publish anything there anytime soon, but I was curious how successful WebNovel writers have been on it.

SnoozySloth Pretty well I would say, some writers here do better than others. I am an intermediate writer and an unknown author. Considering its self-publishing, it is really good, the bonus is that it doesn't risk me with anything that is tied to a contract besides the agreement with Amazon.

I've already earned almost $4000 on amazon in the last 3 months now. That's without going kdp select too.

Dr_Zombie Anyway, this is a quote from @Alemillach (Author of Last Wish System) from a comment on this: https://www.webnovel.com/book/10678377306098705/31268052968461157/Alternate-World-Online/'Contract'

I am tired of seeing this type of information, so I obtained permission to clarify things about the contract because the information here is incorrect. Moreover, I asked, and Webnovel didn't send a contract to this author, so I don't know from where did he obtain such a fake contract.
The contracts needed to be read well because they are easy to misunderstand clarifying points.
1. Meaning of 200k free words. No premium until having published around 200k, the number didn't need to be exactly as it is possible to be a bit less or a bit more. After the 200k words, you can expect every contracted work to go premium at any moment. (the number can be different for each contract, but this is the standard one)
2.License. They can adapt it to any format (comic, movie, audiobook, e-book, etc.), but you are still the author and have a share of everything without any cost for you.
3. If you earn less than 200$, they accumulate it for next month and then pay it to you when you have more than 200$, you don't lose it, just get it later.
4. Payments from Premium are always the next month. For example, Premium from August is paid in September. Those three months are for other types of income besides the Premium.
5. In case you need to go to China they pay everything to you, I just come back today from Beijing, and they paid it all so I can ensure it, you can also ask Moloxiv who was also there. Moreover, they ask you if you can go; if you can't just say it. Of course, once you say that you will go, then you need to go, that is just being professional, but in any case, the travel is all paid by Webnovel.
6. They can make suggestions like every editorial in the world with the books they have. However, they are suggestions; you didn't need to follow them if you don't want.
7. If you break the contract and stop writing the novel, they can put someone else to continue, only in that case and it is to avoid novels being dropped before being finished.
8. Actually, no one is checking the drafts (published chapters), nor forcing anyone to make changes, the suggestions can be followed or not, they suggest to help the authors, but if the author didn't like, there is no need to follow the suggestion.
9. That is in case if you break the contract, breaking contracts always had consequences. If you sign, you mustn't break it. Although I doubt that they will really act in that way, they have the possibility, but sue someone is expensive and I doubt it will be good for them, maybe they will end wasting more than winning.
10. They remain the copyright if you broke the contract, the solution is not breaking it.
11. All the net income is split 50% Webnovel and 50% the author and that includes adaptations to comics, movies, e-books, audiobooks, etc. Although the author didn't need to do anything in those adaptations.
12. The net income is split in 50/50; there is no 30% in any case. Webnovel have their own artists for covers, so you don't need to hire one. As for editors, some works will get although not all (at least this is that I know)
13. Free SS are free, so they aren't money. They split 50% of the net income, but free SS are 0, so the 50% is still 0.
14. The contract should be almost the same, but the contract isn't bad as people is always saying, it is a pretty good contract, the few restrictions are perfectly normal when signing a contract and as long you didn't break the contract there wouldn't be any problems.

But, take everything with a grain of salt. You won't know the contract until webnovel gives you one. shrugs Or simply just don't sign anything and self-publish on Amazon or something... ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Nobody forces you to sign.

Someone deleted Alemillach (Author of Last Wish System) comment on there

It was there 10 minutes ago (with 17 thumb up). Now it is gone.

https://www.webnovel.com/book/10955397205219805/30746494957049581/RPG-System-In-Cultivation-World/'Contract'

Can an ORIGINAL author delete a comment to his novel?

Pegazz
Cobyboy

Any recommendations on pricing and how many words each volume should be on Amazon? My 1st book just finished its 1st volume at 30 chapters and 75k words. The earlier chapters need redone since my writing was rougher back then, but would that be long enough to publish you think? Did you guys pay someone to create covers available for commercial use?

[unknown] Yeah i paid someone to create a new cover for me. 75k words is enough as amazon crackin down on short novels full of ads etc. Min words is like 40k to not be put into a "short story" category.

All of this could be cleared up if only webnovel were willing to make the contract public so everyone could see for themselves.

Just saying.

Pegazz
Thanks for all the info. I think I'll try publishing once I fix the early chapters of my book.

SnoozySloth You have to 'tell' your requirement to the creator. Ensure to get 'the right to use your image as a 'book cover'. Sometimes an ebook license and traditional printing license is different. It is better if you find someone who can negotiate about 'revision'.

ssound5rs Perhaps, Ale removed his own comment. Some people attacking him in that comment. I think that is a bad bullying netizen behavior, each side should show their argument to balance. Nothing is 100% perfect.

[unknown] PS: I have suggested a rotating banner for Webnovel's contracted work (translation and original). You can make app ads with different novels. Readers also would enjoy seeing novel illustration. Webnovel also could introduce more novels to its own readers perhaps making them paying for SS. This only cost in-house designer time.

A good step. Finally saw 'The Mech Touch' on rotating banner. I think it will be either Kevin or Anjee first. Nevertheless, congratulation to Exlor.

ssound5rs My reply is in Alternative World Online

JavaSprings I noted that it would happen in the employers country (China (HK is close enough)) . To actually enforce legal obligations and have a legal battle, the person who signed the contract would have to go to China/HK. If the signee refuses to comply (ignores the employer), the employer would have to go to the country of whoever signed the contract and attempt to seek restitution through the legal system of the signees country. Whether legal action is pursued or not, the contract would be considered broken at that point, and no real action can be taken from outside the signees country. This wouldn't really affect the signee as long as they stay out of China and avoid dealings in the future. This, however, would be considered bad faith on the signees part, if they ignore agreements to settle legal action as stated in the contract.